Traditional methods for dimensionally inspecting injection or compression molded compliant or conformal bearings or bearing sets for use in ball joints can be complex, time-consuming, and inefficient. In particular, after parts are removed from the molds, the parts tend to deform slightly as they cool. With respect to compliant bearings, the deformation is self-correcting upon installation, because the bearing is designed to be "compliant" and to properly "conform" to the surfaces on which it is installed due to the force of installation.
Nevertheless, short of direct installation, it is difficult to know whether a particular bearing is acceptable for use. Current methods for inspecting conformal or compliant bearings generally involve extensive manual measurement of bearing dimensions. However, since the bearing typically deforms as it cools, the actual shape of the uninstalled bearing will be significantly different than the shape the bearing takes after installation. As a result, various complex methodologies have been developed to reconcile pre-installed bearing dimensional measurements, i.e. including bearing deformation, with performance of the bearing after installation. However, as bearing material becomes more compliant and as designs change, it is often impossible to know whether the actual bearing inspection measurements accurately reflect bearing performance after installation. Finally, qualification of large production lots typically requires testing of up to ten percent of all bearings produced. In practice, since the testing requires extensive manual measurements of various dimensions, production lot testing adds a significant amount of time and expense to production of the bearings.
A need therefore exists in industry for an inspection gauge that may be formed in a simple and versatile manner to provide reliable, efficient and cost-effective inspection of molded components. There further exists a need for a gage that is capable of simulating the intended environment for the molded component being inspected, thereby allowing a random sampling to statistically qualify all bearings or bearing sets within a predetermined quantity for use without requiring inspection of every bearing or bearing set.